Gillibrand pledges to have person with disability serve in Cabinet

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.) pledged at a campaign rally Saturday to have a person with a disability serve in her Cabinet if she wins the presidency. 

“I will commit to making sure someone with disabilities is part of my administration and in my Cabinet,” Gillibrand said in response to a question from a disability rights activist who had pressed her on her plans to meet standards for inclusion. 

{mosads} “I will continue to lead on issues of fighting for our disabled members of our communities,” she said at the Harris County Democratic Party event in Texas.

Gillibrand is one of more than 20 Democrats vying for the party’s 2020 presidential nomination. The senator, who is competing against a number of her Senate colleagues faces an uphill battle, as she has been polling behind several other presidential contenders. 

She co-sponsored the Disability Integration Act, a bipartisan civil rights bill aimed at ensuring people with disabilities can live in the community rather than being forced to live in institutions or medical facilities.